Levante

Hi

I'd like to bring here something different.

Lately, I've been working on a "Mediterranean Suite". I used a lot of different scales with something in common: they come from the Mediterranean countries. From Spain to "Persia" and from Africa to Europe, the Balkans, etc... Every one of them is unique, but I guess they all came from the same ancient scale.

The suite is finished, because it's made from material I've been writing for two years or so. I made the selection and reworked some points. But it takes 10 pieces, too long to put them together here.

We have here a very special mode: the phrygian-phrygian dominant scale... The one used in Flamenco.

Levante is the coast my city is in...

This piece imitates the sound of the guitar. Flamenco music don't use the piano, only guitar and other instruments (caja, castañuelas). But, of course, younger musicians have introduced many other instruments.

m. 19 - 46: When the melody didn't have very much to play on beats 3 and 4 of a given measure, the momentum of the piece kind of faded for me.
Perhaps I'm not understanding your explanation in the introductory pages, but I would imagine some of the F major measures would be better labeled as F∆7...? 
I liked it when you introduced F(M7?) over E... clashing, but the common tone eased the rest of it out.

Very interesting, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Good sense of where you want you chords to go and when you want to change things up. Nice!

I liked this piece a lot. It is very original and something different as you pointed out. It would be interesting to hear others from the remaining nine pieces from your "Mediterranean Suite".

Thanks for your comments.

Actually, this music uses two scales-modes:

• A eolian
• E phrygian dominant = phrygian with mayor third (G#, sensible to A)

So, there can be two tonics, depending on the progression: A min or E (which dominates over A min).

I have no idea what any of the terms used by both you and Monarcheon mean Luis but I have enjoyed listening to this as this is my third time listening and it sounds amazing brother. 

Piano stuff aren't truly my thing, I'm very heavy into large ensembles which is why majority of my stuff are in that section but I enjoy the way your left and right hands play off of each other. The sound itself is incredibly smooth and it is a real joy to listen to repeatedly. Amazing work.

Thanks LostSamurai.

I like to explore other harmonic systems. There are dozens... Just pick a scale different from major/minor and use it.

Wow - it's cool to hear a flamenco piece for piano!  You definitely imbued it with that feel.  The phrygian dominant is a cool scale (I believe it's a mode of the harmonic minor?).  Just a nit-pick - I would have notated measures 3, 9, 55, and 61 as two groups of septuplets since they're already beamed into groups of 7 anyways.  An enjoyable piece!  I'd be interested what other clever scales you manage to use in the other pieces in the suite...

3 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

Wow - it's cool to hear a flamenco piece for piano!  You definitely imbued it with that feel.  The phrygian dominant is a cool scale (I believe it's a mode of the harmonic minor?).  Just a nit-pick - I would have notated measures 3, 9, 55, and 61 as two groups of septuplets since they're already beamed into groups of 7 anyways.  An enjoyable piece!  I'd be interested what other clever scales you manage to use in the other pieces in the suite...

 

This is a composition from time ago. The piano is not used in classic flamenco, but in the past decades, it was incorporated in styles such as jazz-flamenco and other mixes. Also, some composers have recorded flamenco for piano solo. 

I am from the land of Flamenco, and I like it. But I'm not an expert at all, there are many many different "palos" (styles) very difficult and with peculiar harmonies.

This suite has 11 short parts and I thought about making it because I realized that along the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to the Caucasian countries, the traditional scales were similar. Most of them have second augmented intervals, for example.

So I used many scales-modes from this part or the world, and others I thought could fit:

Gypsy I and Gypsi II, Hungarian mayor and Hungarian minor, Jewish scale and Romanian scale, Harmonic-Ionian and Harmonic-Eolian scales, double harmonic scale, Lydian-Phrygian scale, X scale (invented), Harmonic-Lydian scale, Javanese scale, Neapolitan major and Enigmatic scales, Lydian-Harmonic scale, Lydian-Eolian and locrian, and Phrygian dominant.

12 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Gypsy I and Gypsi II, Hungarian mayor and Hungarian minor, Jewish scale and Romanian scale, Harmonic-Ionian and Harmonic-Eolian scales, double harmonic scale, Lydian-Phrygian scale, X scale (invented), Harmonic-Lydian scale, Javanese scale, Neapolitan major and Enigmatic scales, Lydian-Harmonic scale, Lydian-Eolian and locrian, and Phrygian dominant.

Quite a collection of scales you've got there!  Let me see if I understand what you mean:

I am not entirely sure which scales you are referring to when you say "Gypsy I and Gypsy II" - there are a couple of options on wikipedia that those names could refer to

The Hungarian Major scale would be C D E F G Ab B C

The Hungarian Minor scale would be C D Eb F# G Ab B C

When I look up "Jewish scale" google just refers me to the Phrygian Dominant scale

The Romanian scale would be C Db E F# G A Bb C

I am assuming that by "Harmonic-Ionian" you mean C D E F G Ab B C which would be the same as the Hungarian Major scale

The Harmonic-Aeolian would just be Harmonic Minor right?

The Double Harmonic scale would be C Db E F G Ab B C

By Lydian-Phrygian do you mean C Db Eb F# G Ab Bb C?

What is this X scale that you've invented?  🤔

The Harmonic-Lydian scale would be C D E F# G Ab B C

The Javanese scale (approximately) would be C Db Eb F# G Ab Bb C

The Neapolitan Major scale would be C Db Eb F G A B C although I am not sure whether you didn't mean to also mention the Neapolitan Minor since it has an augmented 2nd:  C Db Eb F G Ab B C

The Enigmatic scale is C Db E F# G# A# B C and descending is C B A# G# F E Db C

I am guessing Lydian-Aeolian would be something like C D Eb F# G Ab Bb C

And the Phrygian Dominant scale would be C Db E F G Ab Bb C

I like this piece a lot, particularly the section starting around 0:40 as I enjoyed the melody here. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the groups of 14 notes which didn't flow to well for me. But overall, sounds good!

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

I am not entirely sure which scales you are referring to when you say "Gypsy I and Gypsy II"

Gypsy I   1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7 = C D Eb F# G A b B, also called "Argelian"

Gypsy II. 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 b7 = C D Eb F# G Ab Bb

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

The Hungarian Major scale would be C D E F G Ab B C

The Hungarian Minor scale would be C D Eb F# G Ab B C

Hungarian Major  1 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7 = C D# E F# G A Bb

Hungarian Minor.  1 b2 b3 #4 5 b6 7 = C D b E b F# G A b B

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

"Jewish scale" google just refers me to the Phrygian Dominant scale

Jewish. 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 = C Db E F G Ab Bb

Phrygian Dominant or Spanish Gypsy = Jewish, but are used differently

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

The Romanian scale would be C Db E F# G A Bb C

Romanian 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 b7 = C D E b F# G A Bb

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

I am assuming that by "Harmonic-Ionian" you mean C D E F G Ab B C which would be the same as the Hungarian Major scale

The Harmonic-Aeolian would just be Harmonic Minor right?

The Double Harmonic scale would be C Db E F G Ab B C

By Lydian-Phrygian do you mean C Db Eb F# G Ab Bb C?

The Harmonic-Lydian scale would be C D E F# G Ab B C

There are many many scales-modes that don't have a name, and they take the names of the two tetrachords you use to built it:

Harmonic-Ionian = 1 b2 3 4 (harmonic) + 5 6 7 8 (ionian) = 1 b2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) = C Db E F G A B (C),  all work the same:

Harmonic-Aeolian = 1 b2 3 4 5 6 b7 = C Db E F G A Bb (C)

Double Harmonic = 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7 8 = C D b E F G A b B (also called Bizantina)

Lydian-Phrygian = 1 2 3 #4 5 b6 b7 8 = C D E F# G Ab Bb

Harmonic-Lydian = 1 b2 3 4 b5 b6 b7 = C Db E F Gb Ab Bb (C)

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

What is this X scale that you've invented?  🤔

1 b2 #3 #4 5 #6 7 = C Db E# F# G A# B

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

The Javanese scale (approximately) would be C Db Eb F# G Ab Bb C

Perhaps there is more than one, it's the risk of putting names to the scales. 

But I used this one: 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7 = C Db Eb F G A Bb

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

The Neapolitan Major scale would be C Db Eb F G A B C although I am not sure whether you didn't mean to also mention the Neapolitan Minor since it has an augmented 2nd:  C Db Eb F G Ab B C

Neapolitan Minor = Phrygian Mode = 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7 

Neapolitan Major (in fact it has b3)= 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 7 = C Db Eb F G A B

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

The Enigmatic scale is C Db E F# G# A# B C and descending is C B A# G# F E Db C

Yes

10 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

I am guessing Lydian-Aeolian would be something like C D Eb F# G Ab Bb C

And the Phrygian Dominant scale would be C Db E F G Ab Bb C

Lydian-Aeolian = 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7 = C D E F# G A Bb (C) 

,  You said C D Eb F# G Ab Bb C = 1 2 3 #4 5 b6 b7... the first tetrachord is lydian: 1 2 3 4 = C D E F#, the second tetrachord must be eolian which is 1 2 b3 4 = G A Bb C

Phrygian Dominant = yes.

Very nice @Luis Hernández!

I think that has a lot of ingredients of Spanish folks music with your own personal flavor. It reminds me of Isaac Albéniz at times. Well done!